Staff at a Spanish hotel have come up with innovative solutions to cook food amid a power cut that has left vast chunks of the country, as well as Portugal, at a standstill.
At least 50 million people across the Iberian peninsula have been left without internet and electricity, following a power outage that began at around 1pm local time this afternoon.
Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica has said it is working with energy companies to restore power as quickly as possible after data showed a near-instant, near-complete drop-off in power in just a few seconds.
Shops and restaurants have been left unable to take card payments, while cash machines are down.
People walk in Park Manzanares as Madrid Open matches were suspended due to a power outage
Reuters
A man has trouble counting coins in low light in a store due to a nationwide power outage in Madrid, Spain
Reuters
The outage has also sparked travel chaos with flights grounded and trains called off.
It is currently unknown as to what caused the huge outage, which could be Europe’s largest power cut.
Whilst some power supplies have been restored, the head of Spain's electricity grid said on Monday afternoon restoring all power could take “between six and ten hours”.
As those impacted wait for normal services to resume, some locals have taken matters into their own hands.
SPAIN NEWS LATEST:
Staff workers at a hotel heat up the barbeque
GB News
It is unsure if the workers are preparing food for themselves or hotel guests
GB News
Staff at one hotel in Seville have been pictured using a barbecue in the back of the building.
It is unsure if the workers are preparing food for themselves or hotel guests.
Across the impacted areas, citizens are using innovative measures to try and live their lives as normally as they can without any power.
Users online have reported seeing citizens directing traffic themselves, whilst there has been a huge surge of people going to buy candles.
A man waits for the metro station to be opened, during a power outage
Reuters
People gather outside Barcelona-Sants train station, during a power outage which hit large parts of Spain, in Barcelona
Reuters
Eerie footage shows commuters in Madrid being evacuated through tunnels as blackouts hit underground stations and halted trains.
Panic-buying has also spread across the affected cities, with huge queues forming outside shops as residents and tourists desperately try to stock up on supplies.
In Portugal, official sources have told domestic media that the blackouts are nationwide.
Portuguese police said traffic lights were affected across the country, the metro was closed in Lisbon and Porto, and trains were not running.
The country's Ministry of Internal Administration said it is not ruling out a cyberattack as a possible cause, while the Spanish Cybersecurity Coordination Office said it is still "too early" to determine the root of the issue.
And in France, some areas briefly lost power on Monday, a spokeswoman for French grid operator RTE said.
